4-Year-Old Present During Disturbance Involving Strangulation

Missoula Police were called out to an apartment complex in the 1900 block of Dixon Avenue at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday night, September 14. Missoula Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh says a neighbor reported hearing a “loud verbal disturbance” in the apartment below.

"When the officers arrived they encountered an adult female out front of the residence and learned that she and her boyfriend of two years had been in an argument. It apparently started over a texting issue... who he had been texting and escalated into a physical confrontation," Said Welsh. "Mr. Ethan Renfro, 22-year of age was eventually arrested."

Sadly, it appears the fight, including a strangulation attempt, played out in front of a four-year-old child.

"They began to grapple with each other to the point that Mr. Renfro put his arm around the front of the victims neck and applied pressure, which caused her to fear that he was going to close off her ability to breathe," Welsh said. "A child was in the apartment at the time of the disturbance, however, the complainant, the one who had called 911 before had come down and took the child back up to the upstairs apartment."

This is Renfro’s second Partner or Family Member Assault charge, this time he is also facing a felony strangulation charge as well as a misdemeanor for tampering with a communication device. Renfro is accused of he tried to stop the victim from placing a call to 911.